Hiking Blue Lake and Mitchell Lake | Indian Peaks Wilderness Colorado
Located in Colorado’s Indian Peaks Wilderness near Brainard Lake, the hike to Mitchell Lake and Blue Lake offers alpine tundra, wildlife sightings, and stunning mountain scenery.
Hike Details
- Location: Indian Peaks Wilderness
- Trailhead: Mitchell Lake
- Distance: ~2 miles (one way to Blue Lake)
- Elevation Gain: ~800 ft (approx)
- Starting Elevation: 10,500 ft
- Best Time: Summer to early fall
- Mitchell lake Elevation: 10,741ft
- Blue Lake Elevation: 11,329ft
- GPS Coordinates: 40.086978 -105.594270
- Total hiking time: 2 Hours
Several areas in the Indian Peaks Wilderness require timed-entry reservation. Please see the Indian Peaks Wilderness Website for more info.
In my continuing exploration of the Indian Peaks Wilderness, Mitchell Lake and Blue Lake were the next destinations I wanted to hike. After circling the Mitchell Lake trailhead parking area for about 15 minutes, I was finally able to find a parking spot.
Starting from the Mitchell Lake Trailhead (10,500 ft) in the Brainard Lake Recreation Area, Mitchell Lake is a short 0.9-mile hike. When I arrived at Mitchell Lake (10,741 ft), I spotted a moose in the distance, partly hidden among the foliage. The trail near Mitchell Lake had turned into a muddy bog, and I didn't want to stay long.
From Mitchell Lake, the trail becomes noticeably steeper as it continues toward Blue Lake. After hiking for about 10 minutes beyond Mitchell Lake, I looked back and saw more moose in the area. As an aside, the first time I saw a moose was the previous year, in 2016, while driving up Fall River Road in Rocky Mountain National Park.
Hiking into the Alpine Tundra
As I continued climbing, the trees became fewer and shorter, and I entered the alpine tundra, the landscape reminding me of hiking Colorado fourteeners. While hiking toward Blue Lake, Mt. Toll loomed like a sentinel on the horizon, and surprisingly, there were many people on the trail. Just below Blue Lake, patches of snow remained alongside a small cairn.
Mt Toll
Snow and a man-made cairn below Blue Lake
The alpine tundra with the east ridge of Pawnee Peak in the background
Ariving at Blue Lake
After hiking for just over an hour, I arrived at Blue Lake, and it was beautiful. Blue Lake is a tarn nestled in a cirque of mountain peaks: Pawnee Peak, Mt. Toll, and Mount Audubon. I sat and enjoyed the beauty, the cool, clean mountain air, and the bright sunshine.
The hike to Blue Lake from Mitchell Lake is one of the most scenic and accessible alpine hikes in the Indian Peaks Wilderness. With wildlife sightings, alpine tundra, and stunning mountain views, it’s a hike I would gladly return to again. Arriving early is recommended, as parking at the Mitchell Lake Trailhead fills quickly, especially during summer months. With Mount Audubon rising above Blue Lake, the area offers even more opportunities for future adventures.
